ON THIS PAGE:
- Venice with persecuted filmmakers, from Iran to Turkey
- Schrader, Weaver, Edgerton present Master Gardener
- Lazio Terra di Cinema conference
Venice Film Festival supports persecuted filmmakers, from Iran to Turkey
“We are witnessing a resurgence of attacks on artists’ freedom of expression“: with these words the Artistic Director of Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera opened the International Panel Filmmakers Under Attack: taking stock, taking action. The initiative was the first of two (a flash mob will follow on September 9) that La Biennale and ICFR – International Coalition Filmmakers at Risk are dedicating to filmmakers arrested and imprisoned during the past year around the world. The situation in Iran was at the forefront after the government’s crackdown with the arrests of Mostafa Aleahmad, Jafar Panahi (competing in Venice with No Bears) and Mohammad Rasoulof. A statement by the latter two was read during the meeting, “Our works are commissioned, that’s why those in charge see us as criminals.” “The history of Iranian cinema,” they continued, “testifies to the constant and active presence of independent filmmakers, who have struggled to fend off censorship and ensure this art’s survival. Among them, some have been banned from making films, others have been forced into exile or reduced to isolation.” A situation not dissimilar to that of other countries, from Turkey to Myanmar to Egypt, as mentioned in the focus that also mentioned the Taliban’s Afghanistan and the Ukraine at war, and featured speeches by Vanja Kalurdjercic (Director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam), Turkish director Sinem Sakaoglu, Orwa Nyrabia (Director of the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam), European Film Academy President Mike Downey, Iranian producer Kaveh Farnam, and Biennale President Roberto Cicutto. As Panahi and Rasoulof said in closing their statement, the hope is that persecuted independent filmmakers can “create again.”
Emanuele Bucci
Master Gardener: the words of Schrader, Weaver, Edgerton
Just one year later, it was a heartfelt return for Paul Schrader to Venice. Yesterday, before taking the stage in the Sala Grande to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, the director presented Out of Competition his latest effort, Master Gardener, the concluding chapter in a symbolic trilogy that began in 2017 with First Reformed and continued with The Card Counter, also brought to the Venice Film Festival.
PAUL SCHRADER: “I FOUND THIS CHARACTER A LONG TIME AGO IN EUROPEAN LITERATURE, IN A DRAMA BY SARTRE. SINCE THEN HE’S BEEN IN AND OUT OF MY FILMS ALL THE TIME, STARTING WITH TAXI DRIVER. I REVISIT HIM OVER THE YEARS, LIKE AN AGING PROCESS. I HOPE TO HAVE CONCLUDED MY STORY WITH HIM.”
The man is Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton), a meticulous gardener devoted to tending the grounds of the estate of the wealthy and demanding widow Mrs Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). When the woman asks Narvel to help her resolve an issue with a rebellious and troubled great-granddaughter (Quintessa Swindell), the man reveals that he has a violent past behind him.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER: “WHEN PAUL SENT ME THE SCRIPT, IT WAS A REVELATION. IT WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE I HAD RECEIVED. IT HAD A VERTICAL STRUCTURE, SIMPLE ON THE SURFACE BUT VERY PASSIONATE IN DEPTH. I’VE ALWAYS ADMIRED PAUL’S WORK AND NEVER THOUGHT I’D GET TO WORK WITH HIM. NORMA IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER I HAVE EVER PLAYED.”
JOEL EDGERTON: “I’M PART OF A GENERATION THAT IN DRAMA SCHOOL WATCHED ACTORS LIKE ROBERT DE NIRO AND WAS FASCINATED BY THEM, THEN I REALIZED THAT THEIR PERFORMANCES WERE EXTRAORDINARY BECAUSE OF SCRIPTS LIKE PAUL SCHRADER’S.”
Asked whether he feels more like a director, critic, or screenwriter, Schrader replied amused:
“I HAVE BEEN ALL THESE THINGS, BUT MOSTLY AN ENTREPRENEUR. OTHERWISE I COULD NOT HAVE MADE THESE FILMS. JUST FOR I DESERVE A GOLDEN LION!”
Claudia Giampaolo
Lazio ranks second in Europe for number of productions
Lazio is the second most productive region in Europe. The region has its most important area in the capital, but it will not stop and watch. This was reiterated at the conference Lazio Terra di Cinema, where the president of the Biennale Roberto Cicutto also spoke: “The Lazio Region, with the contribution of other government measures,” he stressed, “has ensured that Italian cinema could resurrect from the point of view of financing with great transparency. A rebirth that started a few years ago. “The Lazio Film Commission,” added President Luciano Sovena, “today is one of the most important realities at European level. The new reality of Lazio Cinema International has allowed the discovery of the Lazio territory unknown to most people.” Rome will soon be back in the spotlight with its Festa del Cinema: “The Festa we are building wants to be a celebration for cinema and for Rome,” said Gianluca Farinelli, president of the Fondazione Cinema per Roma. Nicola Maccanico, CEO of Cinecittà, believes there’s still something more to do “because a lot of the film industry has moved to the North, but Italy knows how to position itself efficiently to compete in the international market.”
Tiziana Leone
